Chapter 5 - The Middleness Of The Middle Way

I can tell a resolute person when I see him — like our Ven. Acariya Mun. It was intimidating just to look at him. How could the defilements not be intimidated by him? Even we were intimidated by him, and the defilements are smarter than we are, so how could they not be intimidated? They had to be intimidated. Thats the way things have to be. A teacher who possesses the Dhamma, who possesses virtue, has to be resolute so as to eliminate evil. He has to be resolute. He cant not be resolute. The stronger the evil, then the more resolute, the stronger his goodness has to be. It cant not be resolute and strong. Otherwise itll get knocked out. Suppose this place were dirty: However dirty it might be, we couldnt clean it just by splashing it with a glass of water, could we? So how would we make it clean? Wed have to use a lot of water. If this place were filled with a pile of excrement, wed have to splash it with a whole bucket — and not just an ordinary bucket. A great big one. A single splash, and all the excrement would be scattered. The place would become clean because the water was stronger.

Being resolute is thus different from being severe, because it means being earnest toward everything of every sort in keeping with reason. Take this and think it over. If you act weakly in training yourself, youre not on the path. You have to be strong in fighting with defilement. Dont let the strong defilements step all over you. If we dont have any way of fighting defilement — if were weak and irresolute — were good for nothing at all.

Those who want what is clean and good from the Dhamma: What is the Dhamma like? What did the Buddha teach? What sort of defilements are eliminated by what sort of Dhamma so that it deserves to be called the middle way? The Buddha taught, The middle way realized by the Tathagata — producing vision, producing realization — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self awakening, to nibbana. This is in the Discourse on Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion. The middle way is what can cause all these forms of knowledge to arise. Realization: This is penetrative knowledge thats very subtle and sharp. Even discernment is less penetrating and sharp than it is. Self awakening. Nibbana: This path leads to nibbana. All of these things without exception come from this middle way. They dont lie beyond range of this middle way at all.

What does it mean, the word middle? Middleness as it is in reality and the middleness we hear about, study, memorize, and speculate about: Are they different? Very different. Ill give you an example. Suppose there are two soldiers, both of whom have studied the full course of military science. One of them has never been in the battle lines, while the other has had a lot of experience in the battle lines, to point where he has just barely escaped with his life. Which of the two can speak more accurately and fluently about the reality of fighting in a war? We have to agree without hesitation that the soldier who has been in battle can speak of every facet in line with the events he has seen and encountered to the extent that he could come out alive. If he were stupid, he would have had to die. He had to have been ingenious in order to survive.

So the middle way: How is it middle? Weve been taught that following the middle way means not being too lax, not being too extreme. So what way do we follow so that its not too lax or too extreme, so that were in line with the principle of middleness aimed at by the genuine Dhamma? When weve sat a little while in meditation, we get afraid that well ache, that well faint, well die, our body will be crippled, or well go crazy, so we tell ourselves, Were being too extreme. See? Understand? If we think of making a donation, we say, No. Thatd be a waste. Wed do better to use it for this or that. So what is this? Do you understand whose middleness this is? If were going to follow the way of the Dhamma, we say its too extreme, but if were going to follow the way of defilement, then were ready for anything, without a thought for middleness at all. So whose middleness is this? Its just the middleness of the defilements, because the defilements have their middleness just like we do.

When people do good, want to go to heaven, want to attain nibbana, theyre afraid that its craving. But when they want to go to hell in this very life, you know, they dont worry about whether its craving or not. They dont even think about it. When they go into a bar: Is this craving? They dont stop to think about it. When they drink liquor or fool around with the ways to deprivation (apaya mukha): Is this the middle way or not? Is this craving? Is this defilement or not? They dont bother to think. But when they think of turning to the area of the Dhamma, then it becomes too extreme. Everything becomes too extreme. What is this? Doesnt the thought ever occur to us that these are the opinions of the defilements dragging us along? The defilements dress things up just fine. Their real middleness is in the middle of the pillow, the middle of the sleeping mat. As soon as we do a little walking meditation and think buddho, dhammo, sangho, its as if we were being taken to our death, as if we were tied to a leash like a monkey squirming and jumping so that well let go of the buddho that will lead us beyond their power. Whether were going to give alms, observe the precepts, or practice meditation, were afraid that were going to faint and die. Theres nothing but defilement putting up obstacles and blocking our way. We dont realize what the middleness of defilement is like, because its been lulling us to sleep all along.

Just now I mentioned the two soldiers who had studied military science, one of whom had gone into battle while the other one hadnt. We can compare this to studying the texts. Those who have gone into battle — who have had experience dealing with defilement and fighting with defilement — are the ones who can describe the middle way correctly and accurately. If you simply study and memorize... Here Im not belittling study. Study all you can. Memorize all you can. Im not criticizing memorization. But if you simply memorize the names of the defilements — even if you memorize their ancestry — it doesnt mean a thing if you arent intent on the practice. If you dont practice, its just like memorizing the names of different criminals. What this or that gang of criminals does, how it makes its money, what it likes to do, what their names are: We can memorize these things. Not to mention just their names, we can even memorize their ancestry, but if we dont get into action and deal with them, those criminals whose names we can remember will keep on harming the world. So simply memorizing names doesnt serve any purpose. We have to get into action and lay down a strategy. Where do those criminals rob and steal? We then take our strategy and put it into practice, lying in wait for them this place and that, until we can catch them. Society can then live in peace. This is the area of the practice.

The same holds true with defilements and mental effluents. We have to practice. Once we know, we put our knowledge into practice. What is it like to give alms? Weve already given them. What is it like to observe the precepts? Weve already observed them. What is it like to meditate? Weve already done it. This is called practice. Its not that we simply memorize that giving alms has results like that, observing the precepts has results like this, meditation has results like that, heaven is like this, nibbana is like that. If we simply say these things and memorize them, without being interested in the practice, we wont get to go there, we wont get any of the results.

So now to focus down on the practice of fighting with defilement: The defilements have been the enemies of the Dhamma from time immemorial. The Buddha has already taught that the defilements are the enemies of the Dhamma. Where do they lie? Right here — in the human heart. Where does the Dhamma lie? In the human heart. This is why human beings have to fight defilement. In fighting the defilements, there has to be some suffering and pain as a matter of course. Whatever weapons they use, whatever their attack, whatever their tactics, the Dhamma has to go spinning on in. The ways of sidestepping, fighting, jabbing, attacking: the ways of eliminating defilement all have to be in line with the policies of the Dhamma — such as Right Views and Right Attitudes — spinning back and forth. Gradually the defilements collapse through our practice. This is what is meant by the middle way.

So. Go ahead and want. Want to gain release from suffering. Want to gain merit. Want to go to heaven. Want to go to nibbana. Go ahead and want as much as you like, because its all part of the path. Its not the case that all wanting is craving (tanha). If we think that all wanting is craving, then if we dont let there be craving, its as if we were dead. No wanting, no anything: Is that what it means not to have defilement or craving? Is that kind of person anything special? Its nothing special at all, because its a dead person. Theyre all over the place. A person who isnt dead has to want this and that — just be careful that you dont go wanting in the wrong direction, thats all. If you want in the wrong direction, its craving and defilement. If you want in the right direction, its the path, so make sure you understand this.

The stronger our desire, the more resolute our persistence will be. Desire and determination are part of the path, the way to gain release from stress. When our desire to go heaven, to attain nibbana, to gain release from stress is strong and makes us brave in the fight, then our persistence, our stamina, our fighting spirit are pulled together into a single strength by our desire to attain nibbana and release from stress. They keep spinning away with no concern for day or night, the month or the year. They simply keep at the fight all the time. How about it? Are they resolute now? When the desire gets that strong, we have to be resolute, meditators. No matter how many defilements there are, make them collapse. We cant retreat. Were simply determined to make the defilements collapse. If they dont collapse, then were prepared to collapse if were no match for them. But the word lose doesnt exist in the heart. If they kick us out of the ring, we climb right back in to fight again. If they kick us out again, we climb back in again and keep on fighting. After this happens many times, we can start kicking the defilements out of the ring too, you know. After were been kicked and hit many times, each time is a lesson.

Wherever we lose to defilement, whatever tactics the defilements use to beat us, we use their tactics to counteract them. Eventually well be able to stand them off. As the defilements gradually become weaker, the matters of the Dhamma — concentration, mindfulness, discernment, persistence — become stronger and stronger. This is where the defilements have to grovel, because theyre no match. Theyre no match for the Dhamma. Before, we were the only ones groveling. Wherever we groveled, wed get kicked by the defilements. Lying down, wed cry. Wed moan. Sitting, wed moan. Standing, wed feel desire. Walking, wed feel desire and hunger. Wherever wed go, thered be nothing but love, hate, and anger filling the heart. Thered be nothing but defilement stomping all over us. But once these things get struck down by mindfulness, discernment, conviction, and persistence, they dont exist no matter where we go — because the defilements are groveling. They keep on groveling, and we keep on probing for them without let up. Whenever we find one, we kill it. Whenever we find one, we kill it, until the defilements are completely eradicated, with nothing left in the heart. So now when we talk about defilement, no matter what the kind, we can talk without hesitation. Whatever tricks and tactics we employed to shed the defilements, we can describe without hesitation. The purity of the heart that has no more defilements ruining it as before, we can describe without hesitation.

This is like the person who has gone into battle and can speak without hesitation. Its not the same as when we simply memorize. If we simply memorize, we can speak only in line with the texts. We cant elaborate the least little bit. We dont know how. But a person who has gone into battle knows all the ins and outs — not simply that military science says to do things like this or to follow that route. He can make his way through every nook and cranny, every zig and zag, depending on what he needs to do to get to safety or gain victory. A fighter takes whatever means he can get.

Its the same with us in fighting defilement. Whatever approach we should use to win, the Buddha provides all the weapons of the Dhamma for us to think up with our own mindfulness and discernment. We people never run out of rope, you know. When we really come to the end of our rope, then mindfulness and discernment produce ways for us to help ourselves so that we can bash the defilements to bits, until no more defilements are left. From that point on, wherever the defilements bring in their armies, in whoevers heart, we know them all — because theyve been entirely eliminated from ours.

This is the practice. This is whats called the middle way. When the defilements come swashbuckling in, the middle way goes swashbuckling out. If they bring in a big army, the middle way has to fight them off with a big army. If theyre hard hitting, were hard hitting. If theyre dare devils, were dare devils. This is whats meant by the middle way: the appropriate way, appropriate for defeating the armies of the enemy. If their army is large while ours is small and our efforts few, it just wont work. Well have to lose. However large their army, however many their weapons, our army has to be larger and our weapons more. Only then will we win. This is whats called the army of the Dhamma. However large the army of defilement may be, mindfulness, discernment, conviction, and persistence have to go spinning in and treat them with a heavy hand. Finally, the defilements fall flat on their backs, and we wont have to chant a funeral service for them. Weve gained the superlative Dhamma.

When the defilements have fallen flat on their backs, we arent worried about where well live in the cosmos. Why ask? Were not interested in whether well be reborn in heaven, in the Brahma worlds, or in hell after we die. There is nothing that knows more than the heart. Normally, the heart is already a knower, so now that it knows clearly in line with reason, in line with the Dhamma, what is there to wonder about?

This is why there is only one Buddha at a time — because a Buddha arises with difficulty, gains release with difficulty. Hes the first to gain Awakening, making his way all by himself past the enemy army of defilement, craving, and mental effluents, to proclaim the Dhamma to the world so that we can study it and put it into practice, which is our great good fortune. Weve been born right in the midst of the Buddhas teachings, so be earnest in practicing them so as to profit from them. The teachings of the Lord Buddha arent a childs doll or plaything, you know.

The Dhamma is sanditthiko — directly visible. The teachings of the Buddha are the open market of the paths, fruitions, and nibbana. Theyre never out of date — unless were out of date, which is why we let the defilements fool us into thinking that the Dhamma is out of date; that people who practice the Dhamma are old fashioned and out of date; that people who enter monasteries are old fashioned and out of date; that the teachings of the religion have no paths or fruitions any more; that the paths, fruitions, and nibbana dont exist; that no matter how much you practice, youll just wear yourself out in vain. These things are nothing but defilement deceiving us — and we believe everything it says, so we keep going bankrupt without even a scrap of good to our names. Why are we willing to believe it so thoroughly?

Kilesam saranam gacchami — I go to defilement for refuge. Weve never said it. All we say is buddham dhammam sangham saranam gacchami — I go to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha for refuge, but when the defilements give us a single blow, we fall flat on our backs. What good does it accomplish? What does Buddham saranam gacchami mean? Nothing but Kilesam saranam gacchami. Even though we never say it, our beliefs fall in line with defilement without our even thinking about it. This is called Kilesam saranam gacchami. The grandchildren of defilement we saranam gacchami. The grandparents of defilement we saranam gacchami. Everything about the defilements we grovel and saranam gacchami. We're all a bunch of kilesam saranam gacchami. Think it over.

So be resolute, meditators. Desire to see the truth. Its there in the heart of every person. The Buddha didnt lay any exclusive claims to it. All thats needed is that you practice. Dont doubt the paths, fruitions, and nibbana. When are the defilements ever out of date? Theyre in our hearts at all times. Why dont we ever see them being accused of being out of date? Every kind of defilement is old fashioned. The defilements are out of style, so dont have anything to do with them. I dont see us ever give a thought to criticizing them. So how is it that the Dhamma that remedies defilement is out of existence? The Dhamma is a pair with defilement, but defilement simply lulls us to sleep so that we wont use the Dhamma to defeat it. Its afraid of losing its power — because defilement is intimidated by the Dhamma, which is why it deceives us into not heading towards the Dhamma. So remember this.

Very well, then. Im tired of preaching to meditators who Kilesam saranam gacchami.